Writer: Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
Art: Giovanni Rigano (p)(i), Paolo Lamanna (c)
Pros: A complete story, set up into chapters, with complex characters and enough depth to establish a series of stories.
Cons: Fantastic artwork and storytelling techniques like this should have been applied to an original story.
Overall Rating: ●●●●●●●◦◦

I don’t have time at the moment to write a complete review. However, I just finished reading this book and I enjoyed it so much that I had to write a quick piece on it. The graphic novel that I read is an adaptation of a book.
For people that don’t know, Artemis Fowl is one of the fantasy book series written for young adults that followed the popularity wake that Harry Potter sent through the industry. While the books may share the same genre, the similarities end there. In this series, the protagonist is a villain from a family of corporate criminals. The family has fallen from financial grace, and fourteen-year-old Artemis is a genius who has taken it upon himself to restore his family’s wealth. His plan involves the exploitation of fairies and their age-old culture.
The story is incredibly visual, and it moves fast and frequently. I can understand the appeal of the book (which I have not read), as it must allow the reader plenty of opportunity to apply their imagination to the visual creation of a host of fantasy creatures and their underground world. Fowl’s mansion as well resembles Bruce Wayne and Uncle Scrooge’s residences. Creating a graphic novel of this story is a challenge, as Rigano and Lamanna have the task of at least matching, if not besting, the world created by the readers’ imaginations. The job they do an excellent job of this- the world they create is rich and fanciful, while believable at the same time. Rigano choses to do most of his work within the panels, not utilizing the panels themselves much to express mood and pacing. Even so, the angles within each frame vary significantly, and are detailed enough that they give the reader a cinematic experience. I particularly enjoyed the character designs- I felt as if I was reading a Don Bluth movie. The characters are very consistent- even when wearing different outfits. This was of particular importance when drawing Butler, a key character of the story, as he switches clothing several time during the story.
Lamanna does some amazing work with his colors. Each setting has it’s own pallet, which is particularly effective during the scene shifts and flashbacks used intermittently by Colfer/Donkin. Softer colors are used to flesh out the fairy creatures, and the pages light up like an Anime film. The colors are so smooth, in fact, that many panels look as if they are screen shots taken from an animated feature film. I particularly like the scene where Holly leaves on a magma flare- it is epic in scope.
In adapting the story from a graphic novel, Donkin and Colfer’s biggest challenge was the pacing. In a book, chapters can alter between dialogue heavy scenes and action based sequences- particularly with a book from the fantasy genre. When translated to a visual sequence, those same action sequences which took many pages to describe in the book can be illustrated with a few panels in the graphic novel. Dialogue, on the other hand, requires a lot of tedious panels which often depict little action. Artemis Fowl successfully moves through various settings at a quick, satisfying pace. The action does not move too fast, and allows the reader enough time to familiarize themselves with the places and characters. My favorite storytelling technique is the visual flashback, used a couple of times early on in the story. While it is possible to describe a sequence with words, the simplicity of a single illustrated panel is far more effective. I suspect that this was an addition to the story used exclusively in the GN adaptation.
Each chapter of the story is concluded with a mock “file” of a place or setting from the story, usually featured prominently in the preceding chapter. It is a creative technique of building up character and event history without wasting space in the story itself. Such information can easily be thrown in between chapters using a narrative. However, it greatly slows the pace when telling the story visually.
Overall, Artemis Fowl does an excellent job placing the reader in the middle of events and building the setting and mood. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun story told with solid graphic fundamentals. Even though the story is just an adaption of a book, the story stands on its own and the reader does not need any knowledge of the book series (or even that there is a book). This is an example of what can be achieved with sequential art when creating a true graphic novel.

The Quick and Dirty

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Billy Tan(p), Danny Miki/ Allen Martinez (i), Frank D’Armata (c)
Pros: An important protagonist is revealed; Marauders (!); good dialogue and the phrase “damn it” is not even muttered; the stage is set for the final Cyclops vs. Xavier showdown; Proudstar is awesome.
Cons: Bishop forgets how to use his power
Who should buy it: Bishop fans; readers following M.C.
Overall Rating: ●●● ●●● ◦◦◦ (6/9)

The Details

The Art:
Billy Tan’s art is hit or miss. D’Armata works well with him to create depth, and their styles definitely blend well- that is all fine and dandy. My biggest issue is Tan’s facial expressions. On page 7 panel 1, Bishop is cooly giving Gambit dirty looks while Remy flicks a deck of exploding cards at him (a sweet maneuver, by the way). I know cards can be quicker than a person’s feet and hands, but not faster than a shoulder flinch or even a surprised/worried facial expression. Two panels later he’s mugging for the camera like its the cover of a rap album. Yet one panel later Tan draws a fantastic howl of agony. Like I said- hit or miss.
Despite the funny faces, there are some real winning panels in this issue. I love Bishop’s boots page 3 panel 1 (nice work done by D’Armata). The exact same can be said of the 4th panel on the next page. The vertigo panel on page 5 is the second best scene in the issue! From here on out in any comic book, whenever Vertigo uses her power it should look like this. Bishop’s shooting pose on the last panel and Vertigo’s reception of the bullet make for a fantastic and dynamic scene.
The concentration camp scenes from the future look great and are consistent with the ones done in the other books. Tan may be my favorite artist to draw Layla- too bad she has that hideous tat on her face. The contrast between kid Bishop and his adult self was very nicely done as well.
Cable on the bottom of page 20 looks great, and I almost suspect that it was drawn by an uncredited artist (much like Rob Liefeld, Erik Larsen, and even Joe Maduria used to do on X-Force, X-Factor and Youngblood in the 90’s).
My favorite scene in the issue, hands down, is the group shot of X-Force and the remaining X-Men at Eagle Plaza. Wolverine looks fantastic, like a Cassiday drawing. I love Guido, probably the best he’s been drawn this decade since Ryan Sook. Best of all is the three point perspective- it must have been a lot of work to do that with so many characters in the drawing. Tan always uses a lot of real perspective in his drawing, which must be why his pages always have so much depth.
It really bothers me that Bishop’s costume is colored and drawn like he’s an Alcolyte. The costume he is wearing is supposed to be the one designed by Joe Maduria back in the 90’s. He doesn’t have an “M” on his chest, just the top half of a rectangle (like one of the hoops of a Crochet game). And its not red, its orange.
I don’t care much for Miki and Martinez’s inks, but that’s probably because they are following Tan’s pencils very closely. I would, however, like to see Martinez’s inks over regular X-Factor artist Pablo Ramandi’s pencils. They would give his work a sharper edge that is needed.

The Story (possible spoilers):
I’m beginning to wonder if the difference between a good issue of Messiah Complex and a bad one depends not on the creative team, but on the events that are scheduled to occur in each chapter. I say this because typically I have not enjoyed the Uncanny chapters as much as the other chapters. Yet, issue 494 (chapter 10) has been one of my favorites thus far! We get some action, some great character interaction, great dialogue, solid art (as discussed above), and some twists. Either Brubaker stepped up his game on this one, or else he was finally given something interesting to write about.
So far, the main characters of the story have been Cyclops and Cable. With this newest issue, we can add Bishop to that list. Such a revelation is possible this late in the game because his involvement has been cleverly masked: the Marauders were unable to find and silence him, he undoubtedly was the mystery assailant who turned the sentinels on the X-mansion, and a chronal anomaly occurred during his childhood. If the rumors are true, that another X-Man dies during this crossover, my money now rests on a Bishop. He’s been an ignored character for a decade now, and he lost his popularity in the mid 90’s. Making him not only the star of Messiah Complex, but one of the antagonists, is a fit way to groom him for death. And now, with 494, he finally stars in an issue of the story.
Brubaker does a great job with Bishop’s dialogue both before and during his fight with the Marauders. “Gambit– NO! It has to die!” Awesome stuff. I wonder if Bru reads message boards and saw the complains about him using “damn it” every third voice balloon (It seems that he goes out of he way to not use the phrase: Bishop later says “blast it”)?It is also great to hear Gambit once again calling out Bishop as a traitor (an appreciated nod to the 90’s)- except this time he is right. Of course, Bishop is a kettle and Gambit’s just as black, rollin’ with the Marauders and all. The only thing that bothers me about this battle is that Bishop didn’t use his power once: he could have absorbed Gambit’s energy or Sunfire’s in addition to the little bit of charge that he usually saves up for emergencies. I am going to overlook this, and assume there was a reason for this other than Brubaker not knowing what his power is.
When Malice/Omega Sentinel is holding the baby, she mention’s their “mutant tracker”. Is this just a mechanical device the Marauders have, or is she talking about a specific person? Hmmm….
I have to hand it to Jamie and Layla- both seem pretty spunky and upbeat after undergoing such a humiliating, dehumanizing, torturous ordeal. Of course, Layla’s behavior can be interpreted as spooky and emotionally incongruent, which is very much in character. It just breaks my heart to see her disfigured like that.
One of my favorite moments in the issue is the transition between young Bishop in the future and adult Bishop in the present. It really drives home the point that he has been a major player in this event all along. Both he and Angel were brought back from non-X-men-limbo for this story, so it makes me wonder if there are any surprises in store for Warren. Maybe the Angel was brought back to prepare him for a post-Messiah complex team, or else he could be a red herring for the x-traitor guessing game.
It is nice to see Jamie Prime again back at Forge’s place. Emma is standing in the same room in which Bishop reads an entire laundry list of lies- either she wasn’t playing attention, or Lucas is very skilled at deception. It was great to see Bishop’s expression after hearing about Caliban’s death. It seems that he did not plan for anyone to die in his attempt to kill the baby, and that he still cares for the X-Men. It makes the betrayal seem just that more real. I’m liking the continued tension between James and Logan (wasn’t Wolverine’s real first name supposed to be James?). X-Force sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. The only thing bad about the time spent at Eagle Plaza in this issue is that we are reminded that Guido, Theresa (who was missing from the group illustration) and Monet spent yet another issue doing nothing. At least they are with the group now.
I was hoping that the final showdown of the cross-over was going to take place on two fronts: one at the Mansion and the other at Eagle Plaza in Texas, bringing us full circle. After this scene, that hope is gone. It looks like the final showdown will take place at the Marauder’s H.Q. and/or the Mansion. Who knows, Cooper’s Town may even be a significant location for the Marauders’ plan. Except that we’ve already been there twice, so it is not likely.
My favorite part of the issue is end. Cable doesn’t even trust his own son- he turns to Xavier instead. Somehow he must have known that there was fighting between the two, and that Xavier wouldn’t immediately turn him in. I am assuming that Charles is out in New York City, as that seems to be the Empire State Building we can see of his terrace. Yet another of Cyclops’s mistakes comes to bite him in the ass, as now we are going to have a showdown: Scott Summers and the X-teams vs. his ‘father’ and son. I’m with the latter on this one, as Nathan has a true game plan and seems to know what he’s doing.
I am going to close with some random, last minute thoughts.
The artists have made it a point to showing that the baby has red hair and green eyes. Doesn’t Jean have green eyes (I honestly don’t know)?
Cable must have a mechanical psi-shield located on his shoulder- pretty frickin’ cool. However, he better have a damn good reason for not trusting the X-men- Caliban’s life was the cost of his secrecy.

The Quick and Dirty

Writer: Mike Carey
Art: Chris Bachalo (p),Tim Townsend/Jon Sibal (i), Brian Reber (c)
Pros: A very scary depiction of the future; we finally begin to understand what Cable is doing; terrific art.
Cons: The cover ruins the payoff of this issue’s main plotline; poor Layla!
Who should buy this issue: Any and every fan of the Multiple Man; anyone following the crossover thus far.
Overall Rating: ●●● ●●● ◦◦◦ (6/9)

The Details

The Art:
Bachalo and Reber do an amazing job on the future scenes. I love Reber’s use of reds- with a story that switches settings so frequently, it paints the emotional preparation that the reader needs before stepping back into the concentration camp. Doing so allows us to prepare ourselves for something uncomfortable. Jamie’s face frequently sits in shadow, a device that both hides his marking until the critical reveal at the end of the issue, and also calls the readers to use their imaginations draw in Jamie’s anguish. His and Layla’s situation is draw so brilliantly desolate that we are actually glad when other prisoners arrive on the yard, as their presence staves off some of the lonliness.
The other pages worth mentioning are the roadside pages featuring Cable. There’s a powerful effect to Bachalo’s layout here. He uses it again on the opening two pages of the issue, and in a couple other places. It is so effective because it greets you with an open, scene setting shot, and then brings us in tight to see the characters in detail. In general, Bachalo chooses one particular panel per page to focus on, and the other panels work on the periphery. As this is such a visual story, this technique works very well for Carey’s writing.
Townsend used to be one of my favorite inkers on the title when he layed down Maduria’s pencils. Because Bachelo’s pencils are tight and clunky, it makes it difficult for the inker to express any individuality. Of course, in an issue where the inking chores are split, it is probably a testament to Sibal and Townsend’s skill that it is difficult to tell the difference.

The Story (possible spoilers):
This issue read more like a great issue of X-Factor than Carey’s typically action packed X-Men book, which is 100% okay with me. After last issue’s thrilling knock down, a little breathing room was needed. Of course, this is assuming one can breathing while sitting anxiously on the edge of their seat.
Jamie Madrox is the star of this issue, making this the chapter that I have been waiting for since Messiah Complex began. Unfortunately for Jamie, it’s not a pretty issue. Things look very bleak in the future, and the reader is given a front row seat to the dehumanization that greets new prisoners of the mutant concentration camp. As difficult as it is to watch Jamie stripped of his hair, clothing, identity, and basically his di. gnity- it is far worse watching Layla stripped of hers. At least Madrox is a grown man. And as easy as it is to forget, we also need to remember that he is just a duplicate. As soon as he is killed, his memories will rejoin Jamie Prime, and life in the current timeline will resume.
This isn’t the case for Layla. With even the memory of mutants erased in this future terror, there is little hope that one of the world’s future metahumans will break her out of her cell. Some dampening device must be in effect to keep the current prisoners from using their powers. In short, things look extremely helpless. And Jamie seems to be aware of it all, as his thoughts are always of Layla and not of himself. He protests, fights, and inquires about her wellbeing, and never complains when he gets beat down for it. Carey’s done an excellent job of being able to show both sides of the man over the course of the crossover. I would like to see him write Jamie again, post Messiah Complex. Maybe he’ll get a chance for an issue or two in X-Men: Legacy.
Out on the yard, at the end of the issue we finally get to see the result of the Jamie’s marking: a big “M” tattoo just like the one that Bishop, Shard, and the other X.S.E. members wear. Maybe this could be a sign of hope, as Shard and company may exist in this alternate future. They could save Layla, bring her back to the present time, and then Shard could once again join X-Factor! As amazing as the cover of the issue is, it does spoil what seems to be set up as a surprise at the end of this issue. I for one would have been shocked to learn of Jamie’s marking had it been revealed at the second to last page of the issue. Of course, had it been revealed then, it would have lessened the impact of the shock on the next page (which I will discuss in a moment). And while this dupe’s presence in the future is only temporary, we know from Marker Whitman’s dialogue that the ink is bonded to DNA which I’m sure is supposed to mean that Jamie Prime will have the tat as well when he reunites with his dupe.
Back in the present time, Caliban’s death is dealt with in a way that is almost not sad. I mean, its sad that we won’t ever get to see more of him in action, and I feel bad for Proudstar, but the X-Men really seem to have respect for him. He earned himself a place amongst their ranks the hard way, but as Hepzibah pointed out, what a way to go. Glory blazing and all that. After a great funeral, I think readers will be able to let him rest. I just hope the character is done justice and kept under ground. The one aspect of Caliban’s passing that does bother me is Proudstar’s reaction outside in the snow. He seems caught up in petty return-the-favor feelings rather than sadness and mourning. Of course later in the Blackbird, he’s switched to feelings of revenge, which is more of what I’d expect from him. I wonder who he’s going to take it out on? The Reavers and Deathstrike are dead- I wonder if he thinks he can actually kill Cable? Or maybe he’s mad at Cyclops for sending them on the mission. We’ll have to see.
Notice, that on page 7 panel 2, the image is very pixelated. This means that there was a picture of cyclops that was zoomed in on, and something originally in the background of the panel was edited out. I wonder what was edited out?
The New X-Men’s role in this story seems to be finished. Basically, they whined about not being able to do anything, rebelled, got put in their place and almost got the rest of the X-Men killed, then fixed Cerebra. The main showdown will probably occur without them (with the exception being X-23). Tough rocks for the NXM fans. At least a few of ‘em got to throw down with the Sentinels.
Cable is the other star of this issue, finally reaching his mystery destination. I like that we are returning full circle and heading back to Forge’s place. I was honestly under the impression that Forge’s role in the story was over- kudos to the extremely capable writing squad on this one. As it is, this story-line stands to be the best X-over in history. Of course, all five writers have failed to deliver on the climax at one point or another in their recent careers, so I won’t make any claims yet. However, they have been able to surprise and excite us readers even while telling us in advance what will happen: we all knew an X-Man would die, we all knew a baby was being born, we all knew about the new X-Force, we all knew the Sentinel subplot was being resolved, and we all knew someone would turn traitor. Many Internet fans even believed (correctly) that the traitor would be Bishop.
And with Bishop’s reveal, some may still have been surprised. I was. I thought that the traitor would be Layla, as she has had mysterious motives since day one, has no real loyalty to the X-Men or X-Factor, and keeps many secrets. She even lies about not know things she does know about. While watching Cable run up those steps, I thought it was Mystique holding the gun. She’s To my surprise it was another of Sinister’s operatives: the man from the future. This explains why he was wondering when Bishop would “turn up” many moons ago. Of course, in the last page of the issue, Bish’s eyes are glowing red, leading me to believe that he either is under mind control (Malice), or that he isn’t really Bishop (Sinister or Mystique). If any of these options are true, then Bishop really isn’t a traitor and Layla once again has the opportunity to betray the X-Men. Regardless of her loyalties, in looking at her current state I would have to comment “she better know what she’s doing.”

The Quick and Dirty

Writer: Craig Kyle, Chris Yost
Art: Humberto Ramos (p), Carlos Cuevas (i), Edgar Delgado (c)
Pros: Strong, exciting battle scene; great character interaction; excellent artistic showing; Rahne cutting lose; Warpath showing his true loyalties
Cons: If you haven’t been following the storyline thus far, you unfortunately will not have the opportunity to get the maximum enjoyment from this issue.
Who should buy this issue: Anyone who wants to get a good taste of what the new X-Force book will be like; fans of X-23; fans of Caliban; anyone just looking for a good fight sequence; anyone following the crossover thus far.
Overall Rating: ●●● ●●● ●◦◦ (7/9)

The Details

The Art:
Humberto Ramos came to this show with his A game, let me tell you. I haven’t enjoyed his superhero style this much since Crimson! Edgar Delgado’s colors were amazing. His style is so simple, and clean. He puts down just enough color to give the illusion of depth, and lets your mind do the rest. Many surfaces have an almost edgy texture to them that compliments Carlos Cuevas’ angular inks very nicely. The snowy setting gave the X-Force scene a lot of room to breath, and the negative space was very well used. Many artists who use this much negative space come off as lazy and avoiding detail, but the art team avoids giving off that feels. If this team is the one chosen for X-Force, I would have to pick up the first few issues to give it a chance. I don’t see that happening, however, as Ramos is slated to pencil Runaways next.
I love Ramos’s Rahne! Hands down, this is the best she has ever looked in her current wolf form (I’ve always had a soft spot for her early 90’s form, but I am aware that nostalgia plays a certain role there). I also enjoy his Reavers. Personally I would rather see the cyborg Reavers from the 80’s as opposed to the Body Bags/Clownface wanna be costumes last seen in the early issues of New Mutants (vol. 2), but I like that those little read stories are being acknowledged.
I don’t care for Wolverine’s small Frank Miller styled “ears”, but that is such a minor gripe compared to the rest of such an amazing looking issue.

The Story (possible spoilers):
I was weak with anticipation for chapter 9 after reading this issue. The excitement slowed down for the past two issues, but things have picked up again (at full speed, I might add) in NXM. Two exciting developments occurred in this issue. The most important was the battle between the Reavers and X-Force, which yielded three significant results (X23’s victory, Cable escapes, Caliban). And the second was discovery that Jamie is soon to be branded. One the surface, this seems to be “fun” but inconsequential. However, there may be a deeper implication for the story as a whole.
I’ll talk about Jamie first, since I have a lot to say about X-Force later. This was the sequence that I was hoping to see last issue in X-Factor. We get some wit and fun dialogue between the two. And then in the next issue page, we learn that Jamie is going to get a giant “M” brand on his face like Bishop does. Now, to be fair to PAD, Jamie is a complex character who does more than just exchange wit with his partner in crime. There’s an emotional side to him too, and while the dialogue we got to see last issue in X-Factor was not as fun as the stuff in this issue, it was more necessary to the story. However, the implications of this issues activities are more exciting than all of that. If Jamie is getting an ‘M’ brand like Bishop, Shard, Randal, and all of the other X.S.E. members, then that means that the future timeline that Bishop came from may once again exist! Or at least one similar to it. Seeing as how the writers have left something of a mystery surrounding the B-man in Messiah Complex, this revelation here may be very important for the outcome of these future events.
The three pages that took place at Xavier’s were fun also, because for the first time in this storyline we see Strong Guy and Monet! Also, a strike team is assembled consisting of the remaining non-X-Force characters. Whomever they fight it does not matter, because it is guaranteed to be a rockin’ good time!
Even though I care little the new X-Force as a team, I really enjoyed the battle scene this issue. Maybe it was because I enjoyed the art so much, or maybe it was because of Kyle/Yost (I wonder if they would object to being referred to as “Kyost” or even “Ky-ost”?), but I was very caught up in the action.
The X-23 (I hate that code name) was fun and I liked the way that she won. I didn’t think it was possible, but hey, who’s complaining. I still don’t get the character or know what she’s about, so its hard for me to say anything else about her other than “hey, that was a cool fight. She’s smart.” Ramos took a cue from Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon and had the heroine’s boobs hanging out of her ripped spandex costume. Its a something that I’m sure happens more frequently than artists choose to depict.
I love the Rahne moments- I felt special attention was paid to her this issue, as her reaction to the use of God’s name as justification for hate and violence is very important to her character. Despite mauling a guy, we still see her human side, as she defers final judgement on his life to her Lord. I feel like Kyle/Yost really “get” her, even though they have just begun writing her.
The same can be said for Warpath. I was introduced to this character through the original X-Force, and was underwhelmed. He seemed bland to me, and I assumed he was on the team only because a “strong guy” was needed, and because of the ill ties his brother had to Xavier and friends. However, Brubaker showed me a different James Proudstar over in Uncanny, and ever since, I have been rooting for the guy. This issue was no exception. His reaction to Caliban getting shot was perfect- despite being a soldier trained by Cable to do whatever it takes to get the mission done, James proves that he has not lost his human when his friend gets shot. Now, I never read the issues of X-Force where the two were teammates together, but I was able to gather from Uncanny that the two were close. Wolverine questioned James’s loyalties and his ability to get difficult jobs done, and it became very obvious after this scene that Logan was extremely wise to do so (I guess he really is the best at what he does). Proudstar lets Nathan get away because he cares too deeply for his former teammate. I can’t imagine the guy would hurt Cable. He abandoned Logan once and I expect him to do it again if the situation ever arises.
Which leads into the one of the saddest moments of the entire crossover: Caliban’s death. I couldn’t tell you for exactly how long he has been around, but I am pretty sure he was created over two decades ago. During that time, he was a Morlock (one of the few to survive Sinister’s Massacre, I believe), one of Apocalypse’s Dark Riders, a member of X-Force, and an overall ally of the X-Men. I was honestly shocked and saddened when I turned the page to see him getting gunned down. I felt that helpless feeling; when you want to do something to protect a person, but instead you are stuck watching their agony. The set up for the death shot was excellent- I knew something was about to happen by the way Proudstar had his back facing us in the shadows, but I wasn’t sure. What a noble and fitting way for Caliban to go out: protecting someone he cares about. The part that saddens me most about his passing is that, unlike a major X-character like Banshee, the chances are slim to none that Caliban will ever be brought back. And as much as I would like to see that happen, it is probably for the better that he stay dead. Its just disappointing, as he was my favorite part of the new X-Force, and I think he would have added a lot to the team. I’m suspecting that the launch roster will be Wolfsbane, Warpath, X-23, and Wolverine- which means that it is very likely that Hepzibah will end up in space, missing, injured indefinitely, or dead.

The Quick and the Dirty

Writer: Peter David
Art: Scot Eaton (p), John Dell, Andrew Hennessy (i), Frank D’Armata (c)
Pros: Well written dialogue, well paced and structured; Siryn shows up
Cons: Too many subplots are moving too slowly; X-Force shows up; Cable’s still around
Who should buy this issue: Fans of the Xavier/Cyclops head-butting; people excited about the new X-Force; anyone following the crossover thus far. NOT recommended for X-Factor fans not interested in the cross-over.
Overall Rating: ●●●●●◦◦◦◦

The Details

The Art:
While Scot Eaton has done nothing flashy or experimental with the art, he has done an excellent job providing clear, solid storytelling. His realistic and detailed style works very well for the storyline and will fit in velarry nicely when the entire thing is collected as a trade paperback. I particularly enjoyed his Cable and Siryn. If Eaton does become a regular guest penciler on the title, I for one will not be complaining (he does action a lot better than Ramondi). Like Salvador Laroca on pre-Messiah Complex Uncanny, Eaton draws characters portrayed in the movies like the actor who played them (e.g. Xavier looks like Patrick Stewart). The problem with this is that movie actors don’t always look like the character they are playing. For instance, Hugh Jackman is a lot taller and less hairy than Wolverine. Another example more relevant to X-Factor #26, Patrick Stewart does not have high arched, pointy eyebrows like Xavier does. Its a nit-picky complaint, and it does not detract from the over all great job that Eaton did.

D’Armata’s colors are the same as they have been all crossover long. They aren’t very exciting and everything is shiny, but they set the tone for the events and have helped established a consistency across a variety of pencilers. On the other hand, different colorists help define the individuality of each of the X-Books. X-Factor #25 and #26 truly do not feel like typical X-Factor issues (Anyone interested in checking the book out would be better off buying an older trade rather than reading one of the crossover issues). The first issue of Messiah Complex to have a different colorist was New X-Men, and it really made the issue stand out. Interestingly, things seemed to kick into overdrive and got really interesting around that point.

The Story (possible spoilers):
It looks like Act II of Messiah Complex is not going to be nearly as interesting as the first act. The first issue hit the ground running, and the plot had been gaining speed like Wanda’s brother until it hit a wall in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 picks the momentum up a bit, but not much. It has become obvious which plot points were intended to occur in which issues, and while PAD had done what he can with the events that had to occur this issue, he simply wasn’t given the best material to work with.
As a stand alone issue, David did an amazing job. The transitions are flawless, and flow very smoothly from scene to scene. I particularly like the one between Cable and Reavers and Madrox in the future. Before the reader turns the page, they the text box speaks about trust. This theme could transition X-Force or Scott and Xavier, or even former X-Allies holed up with Sinister. Instead, we are lead back to the future with Jamie, sans Delorian. We also have the theme of secret agendas masquerading as impulsiveness: Layla has been surprised in the past, but she never acts impulsively. Her moves are always informed, and I think we are going to discover that this is still the case.
The new X-Force? *Yawn* They were obviously intended to be the centerpiece of Act II, and they get a good amount of page time in this issue. But I’m just not feelin’ them. PAD certainly has a solid handle on the characters, as he’s written Rahne and Logan plenty of times before. The stealth joke was amusing. Even so, the group doesn’t seem to click. I’ve been very excited about Warpath’s membership in Uncanny, and he seems to have a lot to contribute to that team. However, he’s not very interesting when interacting with Wolverine and Wolfsbane. I know next to nothing about X-23 and thus could care less about her. My favorite part of the team by far has been Hepzibah and Caliban. They are like the non-threatening, goofy members of the team who manage to blow the groups cover. Ironically, the pair are the ones who figured out where Cable went to. If anything, we can’t look forward to seeing more of these two in the upcoming chapters.
The Cyclops and Prof. discussion was well done, but stagnant. The subplot is going no where. And even though it seems we are left with a cliffhanger (”You don’t mean.. you can’t be serious”), we don’t really care much about the payoff. Scott’s last surprise was the unveiling of X-Force, an event lacking the intended luster.
Action-wise, Pad was wise to avoid spending much time on the Cable vs. Deathstrike fight. Its damn difficult to have Cable get the crap kicked out of him and pinned against a wall while not injuring the baby. So instead he gets cup up a bit off panel, Lady Deathstrike stabs him a few times while he protects the infant, and then he finds himself in a corner, which we know X-Force will rescue him from next issue. I’m predicting that in the next issue, X-Force defeats the Reavers, only to have to fight Cable for the child in the chapter after that. Again, not a very exciting plot development that PAD was wise to avoid spending much page space on.
I was really looking forward to some Madrox developments, but like Cyclops and the Professor, this subplot seems to be stuck in second gear as well. We get a hint that a mutant was responsible for the mutant camps- its too small of a bread crumb to satisfy my appetite. Also, we find out that Layla’s a mutant. Sort of. I’m sure its supposed to be fuel for Internet message board debates, but I’m tired of the Layla mystery already. I’d just like a few answers already- its not even fun to guess any more.
The Siryn subplot got me very excited at first- I was hoping that the rest of X-Factor would get to work on a case again. David even created a cool looking character, Peepers (I get the feeling that this guy is an inside joke). Sadly, this was just PAD making Predator X’s routine travel shot more interesting. The effort was appreciated, and I’m sure X-Factor fans were glad to see Theresa again, even if it was only for a few pages. The only thing Predator X pages are good for is to track where the guy has been. Looking back over the chapters thus far, he started out a mile away from the X-Mansion, turned around and headed out to Cooperstown, Alaska. Then he he turns around again and in out in the Canadian wilderness, following Cable we can assume. Another shot later, and he is still in the snow, and hasn’t caught Cable. All of a sudden, in X-Factor #26, Predator X is in New York somewhere close to The City. And Cable is still in Canada. What’s going on? Did the mutant-eating monster change directions? Is he heading back to Washington D.C. to eat Rictor, Anol, and Pixie, who apparently didn’t come back from their encounter with the Purifiers. This must be why Iceman was able to retrieve the New-Xmen so quickly!

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Billy Tan (p), Danny Miki/Allen Martinez (i), Frank D’Armata (c)
Pros: Iceman kicking ass; Dust;
Cons: Iceman should have been able to kick more as than he did; no Madrox/Layla/X-Factor; only 4 New X-Men (two were cameos for a panel or two); ugly art; lame reveal of X-Force
Who should buy this issue: Fans who enjoyed Brubaker’s previous Uncanny arcs, as it features a lot of Warpath and Hepzibah; anyone following the crossover thus far.
Overall Rating: ●●●●◦◦◦◦◦

The Art:
Just ugly. I didn’t say anything about issue 492 and Scott’s ever changing visor (seriously, it looked like a piece of poorly drawn fan art), but I won’t remain quiet for another month in a row. Gentle looks ridiculous, Bishop’s wearing an Acolyte costume, (maybe that’s where he’s been all of this time : ?), and Cable looks retarded with a baby growing out of his chest like he’s one of Erik Larsen’s twisted villains from the Savage Dragon(this hurts worse because he looked so amazingly cool last issue in his cloaks and fur). However, the first two pages looked very nice, as does every single drawing of Emma and Hank.
And I do like the Sentinel that is obviously inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion. Since Marvel now wants their Sentinels to look like they are from a Japanese cartoon, it might as well be a cool cartoon. The robotic Sentinel pilots looked cool- I guess Tan’s strong point is his robotics.
I should add that I am not a Finch fan, yet the cover is the most amazing piece of art I have ever seen him do. Its awesome, really. His weird texturing does nothing for me when the camera is far away from the subjects, but up close it works well. I love Cable’s metallic art, and the gun+ammo+ clothing have real weight to them and just look so freakin dangerous. The soft features of the baby contrast beautifully with the rest of the illustration and clinches the drawing. As I’m looking at this thing, I think it might be my favorite cover for the series so far (and I’m a big fan of Silverstri’s alternate cover for chapter two).
Now as I look at the cover for X-Factor 26, I’m also liking what I see. We get some dynamic angles and the characters don’t look as static as a normal Finch drawing does. Either dude’s improving or my tastes are changing.

The Story:
This has been the least exciting issue of this crossover so far. Not to say it was bad; this has been one incredible crossover and in comparison to the other chapters there wasn’t much development. Of course, the big punch of the issue is the very conclusion, something that comes as no surprise to any x-fan who has gone on the Internet within the past few months.
In the opening scene we learn that all of the X-men made it out alive from Sinister’s base. Don’t ask me why Storm was by Kurt’s side and Wolverine was piloting the Blackbird- Nightcrawler is Logan’s best friend and women usually pilot the jet. Especially when Storm is the field leader, its kinda her responsibility to drive. But I’m being nit-picky.
Can Warren still heal people? I wonder if it was intentional that Storm says, “we need to get him home… to a healer.” and the very next panel features Warren.

At the conclusion of the fight scene, we are told that the Sentinels who attacked the Mansion we infected with Nano-sentinel technology. Since Cable has access to them, the conclusion is drawn that Cable is behind the attack. Personally, I think Cyclops jumped the gun. Does Cable still have his telepathy? If I remember correctly, it was restored artificially but then taken away again. We didn’t get to see the New X-Men and Rictor (except for Laura and Dust); we didn’t get to see Jamie and Layla; we didn’t even get to see the wall that falls on Exlir, which was a plot point of the story. But oh hey, we got to see a full page of Cable running through the forrest- and he didn’t even look hurt, like Sinister said he was. Sure glad I got to see Cable. : / Of course, that scene was probably included for the final line, in which Cable says “…keep screamin’ like that… you’re gonna attract predators.” to serve as foreshadowing for the books conclusion. It looks like this series is going to be yet another X-event focused on Nathan Summers. I wonder whose decision that was? Carey was the last person to write an X-book featuring Nathan, and Carey had said that he wasn’t much of a Cable fan (he was selected for his team because he needed someone to fill the telepathic role he wanted Psylock to fill).
Oh! Cannonball’s awake! I liked that. And Dusk was put to good use. With all of the telepaths taken out, Monet might finally get put to use next issue. Unlike the 90’s, Guido’s too unpopular these days to even get a cameo in a crossover. Even though the guys a regular character in X-Factor, the only time he’s shined this decade was in World War Hulk: X-Men. I guess Guido fans should be glad we were at least given that.
The good part about Jamie not showing up is that means we will probably get an extended look into the future next issue. Also next issue, we’re gonna get to see more of X-Factor, since Cyclops is going to need to come and recruit Rhane. Which leads me into the next thing I want to write about: X-Force.
A month or so ago, when interviewed about X-Force, we were told by the X-writers that they played a specific purpose in the story and that there was a reason the team consisted of just trackers. So now we know that they are being sent after Cable and the baby. Why are six trackers being sent? sure they’ll be able to find him, but what are they going to do when they get there? With Cable’s tk he’s gonna kick their asses- and that’s assuming his tp is gone. Why not have one or two trackers on the team and then a few heavy hitters like Iceman, Emma and Monet to take him down? I would think a stealth person like Anol or someone with Surge’s superspeed would be helpful too. What’s Northstar up to at the moment? I just that someone felt that an all-stealth team would look cool and wanted to give them a reason to exist. We’ll see what happens with them, but I’m not much of a fan of the concept for the moment.
The thing that turned me off the most about the unveiling of X-Force was the build up. Scott says “it’s time for us to up the stakes” like he has a real secret weapon - something other than a strike force comprised of characters we all knew were at his disposal from day one. *Yawn*. What even upsets me even more is that Brubaker has to again belittle Xavier by having Wolverine claim “Chuck never would’ve even come up with this plan.” Bullshit! Xavier led an entire team (or was it both the blue and gold team?) of X-men to attack and destroy an Alcolyte base in Uncanny #300. Soon after, he personally lead a suicide mission to Avalon and wiped Magneto’s mind clean. Not only would Xavier have “come up “with such a plan, he has already trumped it. I’m tired or Bru crapping all over Xavier, just tired.

So, as usually, Brubaker’s tale is well written, it just does not include anything that I cared to read about in this crossover.

The Quick and Dirty

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Fabio Moon (p),(i),(c)
Pros: Well placed meta-comentary, mysterious evil characters with a human side; two colored art is amazing; plot revelations and clarification; Zephyr uses my favorite fighting move.
Cons: Plot is very dense and the “preview issue” box is must read.
Who should buy it: Sophisticated comic readers and people who don’t like their comics talking down to them. Action fans, and people who like clever dialogue. Adults (as there is nudity).
Overall Rating: ●●●●●●●◦◦

The Details

The Art:
Fabio Moon continues to impress me more and more each issue. It seems that he has finally nailed Zephyr’s form and he does a wonderful job bringing her to life (I actually prefer his version over Gabriel Bá’s version). The art highlight of the issue (and possibly the entire story arc) is the bedroom/flashback scene. In these pages we are able to see exactly how effective Moon’s two toned coloring is when it is contrasted with the stripped down flashback panels. The effect is amazing in establishing the separate settings. The flashback scenes also showcase Moon’s brushwork and texturing skills- something that is not as apparent next to loud cyan.
My only complaint is that, like all of the issues in the current story arc, I find the pure Cyan blue that Moon uses too distracting. A more subtle color would have been a more functional choice.

The Story (possible spoilers):
This issue may possibly the best issue of the entire series thus far! Certainly it takes the cake as far as the current storyline, entitled GULA, is concerned. While Fraction tries for a degree of self containment with each issue (as is prescribed by the “slimline” format), GULA has not delivered as well as the last arc, LUXURIA, nor the Casanova predecessor Fell (by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith). However, this issue is a much appreciated exception.
Issue 11 delivers a complete mission that stands on its own as a story, yet plugs nicely into the bigger puzzle. More importantly, Zephyr Quinn, a pivotal character to the series, finally gets a significant amount of screen time. We are allowed some insight into the character as she reveals two vulnerabilities (affection and admiration) to her usual thick shell. Even her romance with Benday is somewhat guarded and distant due to the murderous nature that serves as their common point. That being said, I am completely enjoying Zephyr’s duplicity! In the last couple of issues she fell for Benday, yet she’s alone in the bedroom with the beautiful Suki for five minutes when we hear a rooster crowing three times outside. “My boyfri– my whatever Kubark is–” Zeph says. Lets not forget the fast relationship she builds with Suki right before killing her. Business is business for Zeph, even when it conflicts with her sentiments. This why she makes such an excellent assassin. How interesting that Fraction wrote such duality into the pivotal character of this arc. Even in the first story arc, it was Zeph that he chose to redeem and rescue, despite the fact that it wasn’t even in his original plans to do so.
If issue #12 is anything like the last two pages of issue #11, then next month is very promising. Director Quinn (cooly): “My dead daughter’s come back from hell to kill me.” CLASSIC Casanova dialogue there; I can’t wait!

The Quick and Dirty

Writer: Peter David
Artists: Scott Eaton (p), John Dell (i), Frank D’Armata (c)
Pros: Jamie and Layla (Layla is at her most awesome, ever); Rahne in action in a very clever scene; Forge and Jamie dialogue; Forge’s plan; action packed art;
Cons: Impossible time logic; PAD doesn’t have a handle on the New X-Men yet; old New X-Men costumes; too many cliffhangers (I’ll never be able to wait until next week!)
Who should buy it: X-Factor readers not interested in Messiah Complex; fans of Layla Miller; people following M.C.
Overall Rating: ●●●●●●◦◦◦

The Details

The Art:
I have noticed that this issue has the same colorist as the second chapter. This was a smart move by Marvel, as it gives all of the issues the same feel, and it will make the story read much smoother when it is inevitably collected as a trade. Rictor’s face in the last panel of page 5 looks very real from the coloring. The bad side to keeping the same colorist is that the book again looks murky and dull. Of course, considering the story-line, that may be a plus. I have noticed that colorists tend to stick with a title far longer than either writers, pencilers, and inkers do. Glynis Oliver colored X-Factor in the 90’s for almost 100 issues (if I’m not mistaken), through at least three changes of creative teams. On books like Spider-man Loves Mary Jane, this keeps a cohesive feel to the stories, even when a filler artist takes reigns.

As far as drawing action is concerned, Eaton has been the best thing to come to this title. The opening Wolfbane scene was awesome! Rarely do we see characters these days jump out of the comic panels, Kirby style. None of the characters (except for Nightcrawler and Storm) wear costumes in this issue, yet they are all immediately recognizable- that is an impressive feat for a penciler and inker. Overall, good job. Eaton’s big no-no? Using those old New X-men costumes. Bleh. Editorial should have caught this one.

Finch’s cover looks terrible- the man has no skill for exaggeration in his drawing. Campbell’s cover looks like a Jeff Matsuda drawing, and not in a good way.

The Story (possible spoilers):
Every issue of this storyline gets more exciting than the last, and this chapter raises that bar by a higher margin than the last chapter did! Amazing issue! I seriously can’t wait until next week- I’m hoping we get some progress on the storylines I’m interested in, because with this much action happening already, not every issue will be able to keep us updated on everyone (for example, we didn’t see Predator X or the Marauders in this issue). X-Factor really were the stars in this one, yet there was enough that pertained to the main storyline to keep non-fans on the edge of their seats. It truly seemed to end too fast, and I even had to count the pages to make sure the story wasn’t short.

Rahne gets to show off in a sequence that is just “okay” until we get the punch at the end. It was very clever the way Rictor infiltrates the Purifiers.

Next, the book moves on to Jamie, Layla and Forge. There is some CLASSIC dialogue between these three- after reading this scene, I may start rooting for Forge to be the new member of X-Factor. If he is, then it leads me to believe that the whole idea of Jamie going into the future with Layla was an idea PAD was planning to use independent of the whole Messiah Complex storyline. Because when you think about it, Jamie’s mission doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with tracking down the missing baby- its more of a tangent mission. Rictor is the one who gets to be part of the actual crossover. Not that it matters one bit to me, because Layla’s sacrifice made the entire issue fantastic. People who don’t regularly read X-Factor probably won’t care as much, but for us regulars, this was a character defining moment. Even if Layla didn’t know that Forge’s temporal scanner was unable to bring her back to the present time, Layla had to have known that if she jumped into the machine, nothing in her life would take place in the present time again. Therefore, it was a sacrifice that she made in order for the better good. And who would have thought that the creepy little kid had it in her? When you really think about it, this means that #1, something important happens in the second timeline that Jamie is sent to investigate, and #2 she has to either assist Jamie in obtaining information, or prevent him from sending that information back to Jamie Prime. I wonder if she’s going to get aged somehow and marry Jamie? This would be a good motivation for him to not kill himself (and thus transfer the information back to Jamie Prime).

Tangentially, Forge’s plan shouldn’t work. If Jamie’s dupes are sent into the future, then they won’t exist for another few years. This means, that Forge and friends will have to wait until one of the two dupes surfaces (if they ever surface- there’s no telling which future reality will actually happen). Once it exists, then it can kill itself. However, once that future reality actually happens, there is no need for the dupe to investigate- any one of the X-teams can do it themselves. So basically its a stupid plan. However, it makes for a great story, so we’ll all accept that it can work.

Now, the only real downside to this issue were the scenes with the New X-Men. I’m sure NXM are going to have complaints with these- it seems like PAD is still learning the characters. For example, Rockslide wouldn’t call Cyclops “Scott”, he’s call him “Mr. Summers”. The characters are wearing their old costumes, and I am assuming this is because Eaton started penciling the book before Scotty Young did his redesigns. Marvel planned ahead for this big event, and I’m sure had its pencilers begin long in advance to prevent any shipping delays. Just a one week delay can have a disastrous effect when four titles are involved in a crossover. I’m sure some people will have a problem with Scott blasting Santos into the wall. Sure, his skin’s touch enough to handle it, but seeing as how Scott’s the headmaster of a school, it is a bit disturbing to observe this type of behavior. This is something I expect people to complain about in droves on message boards.

Overall, it seems like Cyclops has been the main character of this story. He’s leading the X-Men’s efforts, and has been featured a good deal in all three chapters. We’ll see what the future holds next week.

THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Frank Quitely (p), Jamie Grant (i), Jamie Grant (c)
Pros: Another human, touching story; beautiful art as usual, cool costumes, bumbling Clark, subtle references to earlier issues, broken moon
Cons: It is probably going to be another 5 months before issue #10
Who should buy it: Everyone (except for people looking specifically for action). Even recommended for people who don’t read comics.
Overall Rating: ●●●●●●●●◦◦

THE DETAILS

The Art:
Jamie Grant truly deserves to have his name on the cover of this book- he fleshes out Quitely’s characters and gives them real depth and weight, not the flashy nonsense dimension common amongst 90’s Image artists. Pay attention to his beautifully hughed backgrounds as well- little touches like the vague horizon line in panel one on page one gives a realistic touch to the pages, and helps ground the fantastic elements of a fictional world in our real world. I’ve seen decent amount of Quitely’s art, and it has never looked better than when presented by Grant.
Quitely again gives us plenty of large panels with lots of breathing room for his characters. Priceless expressions abound, fans will not be disappointed with his showing here. Unique to this issue are some cool new costumes and a small butt-kicking scene.

The Story (possible spoilers):
One issue of this series (#8) has not delivered some emotional impact or touching moment, and this issue will not disappoint readers looking for a human story. Two new Kryptonians have found their way to Earth in Clark’s absence on Bizzaro World (issue #7 & 8). Like any Kryptonians other than Clark these two are arrogant ass-farts (why is that?). My favorite part of the issue, aside from the end, is the use of the key to the Fortress of Solitude. It makes perfect sense, yet is something none of us would have suspected in issue #1 (given that out-of-continuity Superman tales seem to have Clark as the last Kryptonian). At the very end, Clark makes a very subtle reference to his numbered days left alive, and it makes the current issue relevant to the rest of the series. I hope that when the book ends, it ends with Superman’s death. His real death. This is the element that makes the book unique, and is basically the premise of the series. If he doesn’t die, all of the fantastic character moments we’ve seen become worthless.

Okay, so when Daredevil first reached theaters, everyone went to see it because A) it was an action film, B) Ben Afflict was in it, or C) comic book fans wanted to see Hell’s Kitchen’s masked defender on the big screen.

All three groups seem to be disappointed with the release. I remember both my brother and I didn’t seemed much disappointed at all. I mean, it wasn’t X-Men 2 or Batman Begins, but it was far better than Batman and Robin. I think at the time, a lot of people were in the mood to bash Ben Affleck (just like everyone’s out for Britney’s blood these days), so they used every opportunity to crap on anything he did.

What I did not know what that the theatrical version of the Daredevil was very different from the movie that Writer/Director Mark Johnson had wanted to release. At the time, the studio wanted the movie to be very fast paced with lots of action. So they had Johnson chop his movie up. I’m guessing this was because of the negative audience reaction to Ang Lee’s Hulk movie. So a good part of movie was dropped. And when I say “good” I not only mean quantity, as in over half an hours worth of footage, but I also mean “good” as in it was a solid half hour of plot and character development. The missing material tied the remainder of the movie chunks together and gave meaning to the hack-job that reached theaters. Entire characters (such as Coolio’s character, whom the L.A. rapper did an excellent job playing) were left out of the film, and some terrific character interaction scenes never made the big screen. Characters were really fleshed out, and it is a shame none of it was seen by the masses.

I just finished watching the directors cut two times in a row, and I can honestly say this was a fantastic movie- better than most superhero movies. If you like action, adventure or superhero movies, then you owe it to yourself to pick up the director’s cut of these movie: right now the DVD is only 6 or 7 bucks at Target. As a writer/artist, I feel for other creators who have their creations tampered with, and then get blamed for how bad the tampering made the over all product. If you have ever wondered how really bad Hollywood movies ever get made (I am in no way implying that the theatrical version of this film was bad), then listening to the creator commentary on this DVD will give you an idea.